


Beautiful Nightmare

by Strange_Hearts



Series: Beautiful Nightmare and Outtakes [1]
Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Darkfic, Darkward, F/M, Other, Slight Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2015-05-04
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:52:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strange_Hearts/pseuds/Strange_Hearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>
    <br/>
    <i>'My only consolation was the fact that he could only get to me in my mind, that he will only ever be able to haunt me in my dreams.  Yet, by the way he acted sometimes, particularly lately, that consolation wasn't looking as true as it once had.  And I was afraid of what would happen if it turned out not to be true, so terribly afraid.'</i>
    <br/>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>  <b>Bella's dreams have turned into nightmares due to a certain vampire whose claimed her as his.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> **  
>  _Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I'm just using the characters for my own purpose._   
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> _This fic will, hopefully, be long, complicated, and still end in a HEA, despite how it will obviously begin. Also, the warning of underage is not to be ignored. Bella will be a bit younger than she is in Twilight. And I will have some descriptions of Violence, but not that graphic - at least, I don't plan on having extremely graphic ones. If I do, I will change it so that it's mentioned._  
> **

It was like this every night. I walked slowly up the stairs, prolonging my journey to my room, dread pouring from every cell of my being as I thought ahead to what I would most likely end up experiencing tonight. I rubbed my arm, wincing lightly as small sparks of pain shot up it. I didn't want to go up there. I didn't want to go to sleep.

I didn't want to see _him_ again. _He_ was the reason why I didn't want to sleep, but my arm was hurting. _He_ was the reason why I dreaded going to sleep at night, why my parents were worrying over me incessantly. _He_ was a figment of my imagination, one I'd had since I was nine, but _he_ proven that _he_ could be very real, and could hurt or harm others...and me.

I absolutely hated the fact that it was like this now. Why did _he_ have to change? Why couldn't _he_ have stayed the same? I could still remember the time, when this particular moment came, where I'd rush up to bed, eager to fall asleep instead of dreading it as I now did. I would have run up to my room, did my best to fall asleep sooner rather than later, all just so that I could see and talk to my friend again, as I did every night by the time the eagerness started.

_Friend..._ I scoffed at that word now, when it came to _him_. _He_ was no friend.

If I had known just how evil he was when I first met _him_ , I would have done everything possible to keep _him_ out of my head, instead of inviting _him_ in so far that I couldn't escape _him_. My only consolation was the fact that _he_ could only get to me in my mind, that _he_ will only ever be able to haunt me in my dreams. Yet, by the way _he_ acted sometimes, particularly lately, that consolation wasn't looking as true as it once had. And I was afraid of what would happen if it turned out not to be true, so terribly afraid.

I slipped on an old T-shirt and some shorts, taking my time while blearily blinking my eyes. I hadn't slept for almost three days, my body beginning to protest. I knew that I had to sleep tonight, no matter how much I didn't want to. My body was running on fumes right now. I'd already begun to hallucinate. And I was scaring my parents and my brother, none of who knew what to do for me. I'd be lucky that they didn't take me to a doctor, but I knew that, sooner of later, when I did this again – I always did – they would.

I looked at my bed. To someone else, if they saw it right now, it would look just like a regular bed. But for me, it wasn't. No, for me, it was a portal to my worse nightmare, a nightmare I could never escape for long. I knew that the moment I laid down in this bed, seep would soon come to take over, and that the nightmare would, without my consent, take me over. If I could just stay awake even longer...

But, unfortunately for me, sleep was unavoidable. Sooner or later, I would drop. Sooner or later, I would have to face _him_ again.

Dejected, I pulled the purple covers back, sitting down on the mattress for a moment before lying down completely, pulling the covers over my form as I did so. I was shivering despite the warmth, for it was the cold that caused it, but pure fear. The vibrations swept from me to the bed, causing it to shake as I did.

I laid there, my eyes drooping by the second. Kept blinking, my eyes staying closed a bit longer each time, as I futilely tried to fight going to sleep. However, despite what I tried to do, I knew I wouldn't win this fight. And I knew the minute I dropped off, for, when my eyes 'opened', I was no longer in my darkened room. Instead, I'd once again been pulled to the one place I wished I'd never see again.

The meadow in which I laid in was as beautiful as it had always been. I couldn't deny that. However, I never took much time to admire it anymore. I couldn't, not with the knowledge of what was to come next. I curled up into a ball on the ground, biting my lip as I tried hold back the fearful whimpers I wanted to let go. It wasn't even a minute later that I heard _him_. 

_He_ crept up behind me, purposely making noise. _He_ wanted me to know that he was there, wanted me scared. I saw as his shadow crossed over my body to appear in front of me, watched as it lowered as _he_ knelt next to me. His cold hand brushed gently against my skin, misleading in intent. He pushed his arm between mine and my body, wrapping it around me and pulling me up so that he could hold me. I moved as if I was a doll. I felt his cool breath against my ear. I shivered, not from pleasure as he probably assumed, but disgust.

“ _Bella...”_ he breathed in my ear, right before he took the lob into his mouth, sucking lightly. I closed my eyes shut tightly, trying to fight my fight or flight instinct. There was no point in either of them. He was too strong for me fight – I'd bruised my hand the one time I tried punching him. And I couldn't run from him – he was so much more quicker than I was. I couldn't even hide from him, for he always found me.

It had taken me was while to figure this out, but I soon learned that he was the controller of this dream, this nightmare. He's always would have the upper hand in it.


	2. The First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A prequel of just how Bella meets Edward in her dreams the first time**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_I will warn you right now, not only because of my age, but because of the influences I have around me, by perceptions of children - especially those who are nine or older - is probably going to be off on what you think on how they should act. Why? Because my only influence - besides my own memory - is my brother and sister, who, like me, are wicked smart, and don't really act how you expect children to act. Also, the way Bella is, is actually a bt like how I was, so that's why she's not quite as 'childish' as some would probably expect her to me_ **
> 
> **_Also, this chapter is somewhat of a narrative, with hints of child Bella in it, which is also why it's written the way that it is_ **

_Nine Years Old Bella_

* * *

 

I cuddled up on my bed, a book in hand. I read it to myself, wanting to get at least one chapter done before I actually had to go to bed. I was always given exactly thirty minutes to do so before my mother would come in and turn out the lights. This was a relatively new routine, though. Before my birthday last month, my mother had always read to me before, usually reading my favorite story, _Peter Pan_. However, as the need to prove myself to be a big girl had appeared, I'd told her that I could read the story myself, without needing her help.

It was like any other night these night. I wore the same cute pajamas, was in the same room, reading the same story I'd been working on for a while...yet, I couldn't help but think that, somehow, tonight would be different. I wasn't able to think of why that would be – while I could comprehend a lot of things rather easily, my nine year old mind just wasn't able to think of a reason of why it would be different. It just knew that it would be, once the time for lights out came. Something said that, tonight, my life would never be the same again.

And I wasn't sure if it would be a good change or a bad one.

“All right, Bella, it's time for lights out,” my mother said as she came into the room. I looked at her, smiling widely as I saw her own smile. My mother was extremely beautiful – at least, in my eyes – with clear blue eyes, dark red, almost brown, hair, and an easy going smile – at least, that's what my father told me it was called. I wished I'd go up looking more like her, but I took after my father a bit too much, with brown eyes, brown hair, and extremely pale skin, which wasn't helped by the fact that Forks – where I lived – was rather sunless.

“Okay, Mommy,” I said, placing a bookmark into my book and letting her tuck me into bed.

“Goodnight, sweetie,” she said, bending down and slipping a kiss onto my forehead.

“Night, Mommy,” I said, snuggling into my pillow and blankets as I watched her cross the room to the door. She turned off the lights, but left the door opened halfway so that I wasn't left in completely darkness, which I hated. The dark frightened me; it was when the monsters were allowed to come out. If I was in completely darkness, I'd cry until some light was shed for me. I hated this weakness, but I couldn't help it. My adopted brother, Jacob, has told me too many scary stories, and made me watch to many of his 'adult' scary movies – until Mommy found out and punished him for it – that it was hard for me to ever have a good night's sleep without worrying about monsters under my bed trying to take me away if their was no light.

As always, it took me awhile to fall asleep, the constant whooshing and pattering of the rain sounding so loud that, sometimes, it would scare me more than the dark itself. Thankfully, I was able to drop off to sleep, much sooner than I normally was.

Almost instantly, I found myself laying somewhere other than my bed, sunlight obvious through the clouds as it shined down on me. I sat up, looking around me, noticing that I was now wearing some kind of dress, one in a style known as 'Lolita', according to her aunt. The dress was burgandy, with long sleeves that flared out once they hit my elbows. A large, ribbon bow was on my chest, with the dress hugging my body up to my waist, where it flared into a skirt, one with a sort of ruffled hem that went down to just past my knees. Red tights, and dark red Mary Jane shoes covered my legs and feet respectively, while red lace fingerless gloves covered my hands.

Naturally, my clothes freaked me out a bit. I didn't know where they'd come from, after all, and I tugged on it, uncomfortable, though the dress wasn't too bad. It just wasn't something I was used to. I looked up, trying to make sense of where I was. It was meadow, a beautiful one that was almost like an even circle. Wild flowers grew everywhere, with trees surrounding it on all sides. The bubbling of a stream could be heard nearby, though I saw no water. Slowly standing up, I spun in a circle, awed and no longer worried about my clothes. 

As I was looking, believing I was alone, it took me a few moments before I saw something in the shadows, to the right of my original position. I paused, looking, as something moved there. I wasn't fearful; something in me seemed to know what was going on, and told me that whoever it was wasn't going to hurt me. I continued to stare, I saw it begin to move, becoming clearing as it came closer to the meadow, until it was just at the treeline.

It was a man, well, more like a boy, older than me – in fact, he looked to be more around my adopted brother's age – that was standing there. The first thing I noticed about him was his hair, which was a bronze color and looked messy. I kind of wanted to run my hands though it, to know if it was as soft as it looked. Next, I noticed that he had pale skin, like, skin that was almost white. I had the feeling that, if we were to stand side by side, his would be paler than mine, and my skin was pretty pale. Then, I looked towards his face, gasping in shock as I did so. He was beautiful, the meadow suddenly seeming to pale in comparison. I wondered if he was an angel, for how beautiful he was.

His eyes, a golden color, were watching me, watching me in a strange way. The expression on his face showed it as well, and, after a while, I began to feel a bit uncomfortable. _Why was he looking at me the way he was?_ I fidgeted, looking away, but my eyes were drawn back to him constantly. I finally managed to look away longer than I had been, biting my lip, before I gave in to looking at him again. Another gasp left me when I did so. His eyes, which I had thought were a golden color – in fact, I was sure they had been – were now darker in color. In fact, they were now an inky black, yet they also seemed to darken in color as well, a strange notion. As far as I knew, there was no color darker than black, after all.

I was suddenly scared, though that feeling in me that had stayed my hand before was still there. I couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen, something bad. What it was, I didn't know, but it was there.

He took a small, but confident, step in my direction, and then another, and another, slowly coming towards me, his eyes never straying away from me. I was frozen during the first few steps, but, when it came to the one that put him about halfway to me, my limbs finally allowed me to move. I took a step back, two of them, scared of him and the way he stared at me. He stopped moving when he saw me backing away from him, as if he could see my fear.

“Don't be afraid,” he said softly, his voice soft like velvet, caressing me like a siren's call, luring it's prey to it. I couldn't help the way I responded, stopping my movement when I heard it, almost dazed at the beauty of it. A smirk spread across his face when he saw my reaction to it, and he continued to walk in my direction. When he was about three more steps away from me – much, much closer than I really cared for – I went to move away once again. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what was around me at the time, and stepped on a rock, which not only hurt my foot – it even hurt even more than I thought it would – but also upset my balance. I went crashing down onto the ground, slightly tilted, the worse of the harm being done to my one arm and shoulder. I was shocked at how real the pain felt. This was a dream, wasn't it?

He continued to walk forward, almost as if he hadn't noticed my fall, or the fact that it had occurred because I wanted away from him. Once he was as close as he could be to me without being on top of me, he knelt down, his eyes never leaving my face. Closer now, I could see that the intensity of them was fueled by longing as he stared, a longing I just couldn't understand. It was not only confusing me, but scaring me even more. Fear ran rampant through me as I wished I could move my eyes away from his. But I was trapped under the intense gaze.

“Who are you?” I whimpered, shaking a bit. He smiled softly at me, finally toning down his gaze.

“I'm a friend,” he said, his voice trying to be convincing. It didn't quite work out all that well, for the next words he said, “I'm _your_ friend, Isabella,” sounded more like a command than anything else. Yet, I couldn't help but believe him. Maybe it was because this was a dream, and, therefore, he couldn't do anything to me, but whatever it was, I was believing him.

“Friend,” I asked cautiously. He nodded. I thought for a moment longer, and then gave him a hesitant smile as I pulled myself up, sitting in a cross-legged position. He smiled back at me encouragingly, my own smile growing larger in response as I became more confidant with his encouragement, knowing for sure that it was a dream. There was no reason why this older male would actually ever become my friend if this was real life. I was nine – most teens didn't hang out with younger ones like myself. As that fact filtered through my mind, the last reservations I had about his words disappeared. It was obvious that he was nothing more than an imaginary friend for me. 

I cocked my head at him, curiosity on my face. He did the same, mimicking my actions exactly. I blushed, embarrassed, feeling as if he was making fun of me. However, it didn't stop me from lifting my hand until it was in front of my face. Like he'd done before, he copied me, and, when I started to wiggle my fingers in the air, he did so as well. I finally realized that he wasn't making fun of me, he was just copying me, and began waving my hand, as if to say hi. When he did this as well, I began to make funny faces. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, for when he made his face, I couldn't help but laugh at him. It was just too funny. 

I was afraid that he offended, but he ended up joining in on the laughing as well. My laughter trailed off as his took over. It was much like his voice – perfect. I smiled as he calmed down, his own lips turned into a smile as well, before curiosity overtook me once more.

“What's your name?” I asked. I knew that, I he was an imaginary friend, I was the one to name him, but I had the feeling that my subconscious had already done so, and I just wasn't aware of it yet. After all, I haven't been aware of anything that my subconscious has been doing, if it could come up with this meadow, my clothes, and this male.

“My name is Edward,” he replied, smiling.

“Hi Edward. My name is – “ I cut myself off mid-sentence, remembering that he had already called me by my name before, though he had used the full name, over my preferred nickname. It did get me wondering though: how did he know my name?

As if he was able to know just what it was that I was thinking, he answered, “I'm your friend, remember?”

“But I've never met you before,” I insisted, seeming to forget for a moment that this was nothing but a dream, and the fact that my subconscious had made this man. For some reason, a part of me felt as if I had made him not know my name.

“That may be so, love,” he said. “But I know some things about you already, though not nearly as much as I wish I did.” The last bit was more under his breath, and sounded more than annoyed, as if he disliked the fact that he didn't know everything about me. However, my mind barely noticed that, for I wasn't paying all that much attention to it, as my mind was caught on something else he'd said. _Did he just call me 'love'? Why?_ I wondered. And, like any child my age, I had to ask him about it.

“What did you call me before?” I asked, putting my question to words out loud.

“Isabella, of course,” he said, sounding amused. I had the feeling he was actually dodging what I really wanted, and huffed, sightly annoyed at him for it.

“No, I meant, after that? Like, just now?” I told him, a slightly whine in my voice.

“I called you love,” he said, smiling as he did so. I noticed his eyes darken once more, but only for a moment.

“Why?” I asked innocently.

“You'll find out one day,” he said. I couldn't help but shrink back a bit when I heard his tone of voice, for he sounded dark; a bit evil, if I was completely honest. I shrugged it off after a while, though, in the back of my mind, I couldn't stop wondering why he had said it like that. And what would I find out one day? What did he mean by that?

Suddenly, I was distracted even further from my thoughts as he reached out a hand, lightly tracing my face with his fingertips. I could feel just how cold they were, surprised once more at how real this dream felt. For just the tiniest moment, I considered that this may not be a dream, that it might actually be happening, but I knew that was impossible.

He spent several moments, just touching my face as he was, his eyes turning dark once more, more noticeably this time. In fact, they were now black in color, his stare intense once more. I shifted a bit, unnerved again, but before I could do anything else, he looked away from me, frozen. From the way he tilted his head, I had the feeling that it was like he was hearing something. Whatever it was, it had him drawing his hand back, and, in a blink of an eye, he was standing once more.

“I have to go now,” he said abruptly, and I thought, when I saw his lips move slightly, that I heard him mumble 'before I take you right now' under his breath right afterward. Still, I had the feeling that I had just been imagining it. I was more focused on the confusion over his abrupt change brought to me, as well as his untimely departure plans. I was also upset at the thought of never seeing him again.

“Oh, well, um, good-bye, Edward,” I said, a frown on my face as I looked down.

“Good-bye?” he asked, his voice now confused as well.

“Well, you know, when I way up and that, this dream will be over so...it's not as if I'll ever see you again,” I said, the last part gloomy. I was surprised when he barked out a laugh, looking at him confused though basking in his laughter as well. It was still just as beautiful as it was earlier. He knelt down again, like before, but this time he was closer, our faces mere inches apart. I wasn't all that comfortable with the distance, but the hand on my cheek had be frozen.

“Oh, you'll see me again, love,” he assured me, his hand sliding into my hair now. “You can be sure of _that_.”

The last part said was in the same dark voice as before, and I was fearful of him once more. However, the smile he gave me after his words erased the fear, and I gave him another one as well, right before he stood back up. He walked backwards toward the tree line, his eyes still on my face, his steps sure and confident, unlike my own had been. He entered the shadows once again, though I could still see him as he continued walking. I don't know when he stopped, though; the shadows and trees soon covered him from my gaze.

The next think I knew was that I was in my bed, just waking up as the sun crept into my room from my window, reflecting on the light pink walls of my bedroom brightly. I sat up in my bed, my mind thinking over all that happened in my dream. Like in the dream, a part of me was still having trouble believing that it was so, but the fact that I was safe and warm in my bed, as well as the fact that the sun was just starting to appear in what was a cloudless sky, was quickly disabusing me of the notion.

Got out of bed, heading to my closet to get ready for school. As I did so, I thought of the last thing Edward had said to me. ' _Oh, you'll see me again, love. You can be sure of_ _ **that**_ _.'_

I couldn't help but want to believe him, believe that I would see him again, but there were two factors working against it. The first was the fact that Edward was nothing more than just a figment of my imagination, just one of my many dreams, none of which were real. So, surely on that note of evidence, it was unlikely that I would ever see him again. Of course, anything could happen in dreams.

The second factor, though, was the fact that, for some reason, that dark tone he'd used, as well as the intensity of his stare, had frightened me, and made me uneasy just thinking about. And there was a part of me that seemed to be telling me that I shouldn't want to see him again, that it was dangerous to do so. Why would this part of me say that, though? There was nothing to suggest that it would be a good or bad idea, but my subconscious – now that I was awake – seemed to be suggesting that nothing good would come of seeing him again.

Well, whatever the reason, I knew I should listen to it. My parents always told me to go with my gut feeling, which my subconscious was linked to – according to my father, at least – so I knew that I should hope not to see Edward again. And, even though I didn't like it, I was going to stick with what my gut wanted. So, I decided that I wouldn't hope to see Edward again, pushing all thoughts of the dream I'd just had out of my mind as I headed out of my room and down the stairs.

I was unaware, though, that it was no longer my decision of what I wanted, unaware of just how wrong and mistaken to believe that it was in my thinking. It would be a while before I realized it, and, by then, it would be too late to change anything.


	3. School and Second Meeting

I had been at school for several hours now – in fact, it was lunch time at the moment. I sat at one of the picnic tables outside, a piece of paper in front of me and a pencil in my hand as I tried to draw a picture of the meadow from last night. However, when I sat back to see my progress, I winced, crumpling the paper and throwing it away, ashamed of my terrible artist skill. I hadn't done it any justice at all, and, now that I had nothing to do, I found my thoughts going back to the man I had met in that meadow, though it was the exact thing I shouldn't be trying to do.

With an ease that I shouldn't have been able to do, my mind was able to conjure up his beautiful voice, his messy bronze hair, those golden eyes that would begin to turn black with each second he stared at me in a long run... I shifted a little in my seat, becoming uncomfortable just thinking about the intensity of those eyes when they were watching me. I know I'm young, and, usually, kids like me wouldn't be bothered by something like that; would, in fact, easily forget about it, but the memory of that stare would not go away. In all honesty, the fact that it refused to disappear from my mind scared me a lot.

I heard someone sit next to me, followed my a throat clearing. “H-hey, Bella,” the person said. I turned to see my friend, Mike, who looked a bit nervous as he took his seat.

“Hey,” I told him, a bit dreamily. I'd had a crush on Mike since we were both five, first meeting when he'd moved out here. He'd been a good friend of mine ever since we first started school. More than that, I couldn't help but get the feeling that – or maybe it was a hope – that he liked me as well. It was easy to understand why with the things he did for me.

Like what he was doing right now. When we both caught each others' gazes, and after looking away with our cheeks becoming pink, I saw, from the corner of my eye, him reaching into his pocket for something. My curiosity flared as I turned to him, wanting to see what it was that he was looking for. Then, before my eyes, he brought his hands up toward me, and held out a little daisy in front of me, a silent wish for me to accept it.

“Thank you, Mike,” I said, blushing even darker as I took it from his hand.

“Your w-w-welcome,” he stuttered, blushing against as well. I was placing the flower in my bag when I saw Jessica Stanley stalking toward us, a furious expression on her pathetic little face. I frowned when I saw her coming towards us. Jessica and I had hated each other from the minute we first met, mostly because of Mike, whom she'd had a crush on as well. As I mentioned before, Mike seemed like he liked me, which did not make her all that happy.

She stopped in front of us, stomping her feet like the brat that she was, and, with her hands on her hips, glared down at me. The glare then disappeared as she turned towards Mike.

“Mike,” she whined. “What are you sitting next to me, instead of this loser?”

Mike's face went red with anger. “Shut up, _Jessica_!” he yelled, sneering a bit when he said her name. “She's not a loser!” She's great! And she's way prettier than you! If anyone here is a loser, it's you!”

This was just another reason why Jessica hated me – because Mike was always staunch in his defense for me, something that I loved. Because Jessica did not like anything of what he said, she turned to glare at me once again. Seeing that I wasn't fidgeting like she wanted – I had a police chief for a father, little glares like her didn't bug me – she stomped her foot again, turning back to Mike.

“You'll see what a loser she is soon, and come running for me in the end, Mile,” she vowed, as if she could control what he was thinking. Both of us stared at her, incredulous, from her words as she turned and stomped away from us to her own seat. I shook my head. You'd think, after having been schoolmates for several years, she would have realized that her words were nothing more than a meaningless saying. I turned to look at Mike, who was blushing against for some reason, which caused me to blush as I remembered what he'd said in defense to me. Inside, I was jumping in joy for the knowledge that Mike that I was pretty.

“Thanks for defending me, Mike,” I told him, shyly giving him a small smile.

“N-no pr-problem,” he replied shakily. I smiled at him, before standing up and heading out of the lunchroom, going to one of the benches where I usually spent my time waiting for lunch to finish. As I started heading that way, I had a strange feeling, as if there was someone watching me. Stopping in my tracks for a moment, I looked around, zeroing in on the trees that surrounded the school on three sides. I focused in on what was going on out there more closely, curiosity coloring my thoughts as I saw that there appeared to be...something there, deep within the shadows.

 _Maybe it's a bear, or a wolf_ I thought for a moment, becoming a bit panicked. But the shape of what I was seeing didn't match up with either of those guesses. Then, the shape blurred, as if something was moving quickly, and, after the blurring was gone, I realized that whatever it was that I was seeing was gone. I sighed with relief, knowing that whatever it was had gone, though I was still curious to know what it was. I thought about the blur I'd seen. I hadn't seen much in color, but I could have sworn that I had seen some sort of bronze color...

<hr>

  
  


I laid in my bed, sleepier than I usually was around this time. I didn't even bother to grab a good to read, so out of it as I was. My eyes were closed the minute I got into my bed, sleep overtaking me. I didn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen tonight, like it had last night. Whenever I considered what Edward had said, on the rare occasions that I had thought about it today, I had only imagined that it had to be just one of the many dreams I had, completely ignoring what it was he had said at the end.

However, now that I was asleep once more, I was kind of forced to reconsidering those thoughts, and to not ignore those words, for, once again, I found myself in the middle of that beautiful meadow. A glance down showed that, also once again, my clothes had changed, into a simple purple dress with light purple designs on it. I had to admit, this dress felt more me than the previous one. In fact, I liked this one, a lot.

Somehow, remembering what Edward had said, I was able to quickly find him, standing within the shadows of the meadow, in the exact same spot as last time, in fact. He was staring at me, as I stood frozen underneath his gaze once again, a look of surprise on my face. Slowly, he began to walk towards me, while my mind did it's best to begin processing things, though it didn't work all that well. My mind just wasn't able to process anything properly at the moment, mostly because I was not only shocked to see him, but because of the fact that, for some reason, seeing him made me think of the shadowy thing I'd seen during school. There was no reason for me to think of that, of course, I just was.

He stopped once he was standing within touching distance right in front of me.

“Did you really think I didn't mean it when I said you would see me again?” he asked me, amused. It was enough to shock me out of my thoughts, making me forget about the shadowy thing I'd seen at school, while simultaneously blushing at his question and the way he easily figured me out.

“B-but...h-how...how am I here again?” I asked, my confusion beginning to reign as the blush faded from my cheeks. He leaned down to my level, never once breaking eye contact with me.

“Magic,” he whispered, obviously joking, but my innocent mind didn't register that at the moment. Obviously, I believed him when he said it, quite easily. 

He sat down on the grass, in the same position as he had the other night, and gestured for me to do the same. I didn't know why, but, before my mind could even process what he wanted me to do, I had already done so. I looked down at my body, my eyes wide at the movement, almost missing the smirk that crossed his face at my willingness to comply.

“How have you been, little Bella?” he asked politely. Like before, it sounded more like a command that what it was intended to be.

“Okay,” I said quietly, still confused by everything. I didn't offer anything other than that, not believing that he really wanted to know. It was something that seemed to displease him quite a bit.

You drew a picture today, didn't you?” he probed. I gaped at him, not only surprised at his insistence to know what I did, but at the fact that he was able to figure out one of the things I had done today.

“H-how did you know that?” I asked, shock evident in my voice.

“Well, you did, didn't you?” he asked again, impatient now. I shrunk away from him a bit, wary, but still nodded my head. He seemed to notice my wary and timid actions, for he looked apologetic.

“What was it of?” he asked, more gently. There was also genuine curiosity in his voice as well. I blushed as I motioned around us. “It was of this meadow,” I said.

“The meadow?” he repeated, smiling.

“Yeah,” I said, blushing a bit. “I tried to draw this meadow. It's pretty.”

He chuckled. “I'm glad you like it,” he told me. “You'll be spending a lot of time here in the future.”

“I will?” I said, confused. 

“Every night for the next few years,” he confirmed. I looked away form him at that, not quite sure of what to feel. I looked around he meadow as I thought. It was really pretty, and Edward seemed pretty nice most of the time, when he wasn't creeping me out. It would actually be a nice break to have someone talk to after a day of being around Jessica as well...

“There was a girl who was mean to you, wasn't there?” he murmured suddenly, making me jump. It took me a few minutes to realize his words, and I had to look at him once they registered. How had he known that? More to the point, how had he known where my thoughts had gone to? Without meaning to, as my mind turned from what he said to the way Jessica was, tears began to well up in my eyes. Though I tried to be brave and a big girl at school, and not let what Jessica did bother me, whether it her often public humiliations of me or the mean things she'd say to me, the things that she did did hurt me, deep down. Sometimes, when I was alone, I'd cry about it, unable to help myself. It was so degrading when she would embarrass me in front of our classmates, making almost all of them laugh at me.

When Edward saw my tears, he looked remorseful for reminding me of Jessica, bringing me close to his chest while wrapping his arms around me. At first, I was startled by his embrace, but soon, I relaxed and cried myself out as he let me soak his shirt with my tears. He gently stroked my hair and rubbed my back while he crooned hushed, comforting words in my ear, despite the fact that I couldn't hear them all that well. Once I was all cried out, sniffling as my body felt strangely drained, his words changed.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I didn't know it was that bad. But don't worry. She won't be mean to you anymore. I won't allow it.”

I looked up at him with my now red, puffy eyes, searching his.

“Really?” I asked, my voice hoarse from my sobs. He nodded his head, smiling kindly down at me. For the first time since meeting him, I felt no fear towards him. He finally appeared as he said he was, a friend. An imaginary one, but still a friend. And, while I knew his words meant nothing – for he couldn't do anything to Jessica because of the fact that he was imaginary – I still believed him.

I placed my head back down on his chest, snuggling further into him, taking notes about him. His skin was still cold as it had been in the previous dream, and now that I was against his chest, I could tell that he felt like stone, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, I snuggled in as far as I could while he nuzzled his face in my hair. For a moment, I thought I heard him sniffing, smelling my hair, but I ignored it, liking the silence and peace that that I was feeling to really be all that bothered over it..

“I can teach you to draw, if you'd like?” he offered suddenly. I didn't have to think, nodding enthusiastically. I'd loved to learn, and I found it so nice of Edward to offer. He was being so nice this time, not scaring me as he had yesterday. In fact, right now, in his arms, I could barely remember the fact that he had scared me. Maybe it was because he was my friend, a very good friend, one whole I felt I could tell all of my secrets too – despite the fact that there was still a hint of wariness in my subconscious. I now truly believed Edward wanted to be my friend.

We sat in the meadow for a while longer, sitting in that same position the whole time, talking every now and then. Edward seemed to understand me; he just sat there and listened to me as I told him things about my life. It almost seemed as if he was absorbing everything I said into his mind. The few times I tried to move, though, saw him locking his arms around me, refusing me the privilege, and I soon gave up on trying to do so. I wasn't too bothered over his actions.

Eventually, though, as all good things were wont to do, our time came to an end. He sighed, moving me away, though he still kept his hands on my shoulders.

“I have to go now,” he said softly, just as I figured he would. Still, the fact that I had known it was coming still didn't help keep my face from dropping. I had been enjoying talking to him. He looked just as upset as I was, but only for a moment. 

“But don't worry,” he said, his face brightening, “you'll see me again tomorrow night.”

The words had my own face lighting up as well. “Really?” I asked, excited. He nodded.

“I have to teach you how to draw, remember?” he said. The subtle mentioning of that promise did help me remember, and I became even more excited. The prospect of being about to draw the meadow was that the forefront of my thoughts, just as the fact that I would see him again was.

“And don't worry about that girl, she won't bother you anymore,” he stated firmly. After that, he softly kissed my forehead, them stood up. As with the previous night, he kept his eyes on me as he walked away into the shadows, and my own eyes stayed locked onto his form until he was completely gone.

I woke up right after he disappeared from my sight, in my bed and regular sleep clothes as if nothing had happened. It was, quite literally, just like a dream. Well, I supposed that it really was a dream, but that really didn't matter to me, so long as I got to see Edward again. My earlier thoughts, my earlier promise not to think about seeing him again, had vanished the moment I had. All I wanted to do was see Edward again, and I knew I would get my wish. I knew that I would see my friend again.

And, strangely enough, I couldn't wait.


	4. A Final Meeting Before Change

It's been around six years now. My fifteenth birthday was today, and, while I enjoyed spending it with my family, I looked more forward to tonight, when I would see Edward again.

The last six years, during the night, had been much like some sort of heaven sent wish. Every night, when I fell asleep in my bed, I found myself in that same meadow, with Edward there as well. During these nights, Edward had become my confident, my one true best friend. The only person who I could tell everything to and just...be myself. I've told Edward almost all of my secrets, everything I wanted, everything I hate...basically, almost everything in my life, and all that revolved around me. I've told him so much about myself.

And yet, there was one thing that I'd never told him, one thing that he didn't know about me.

I couldn't really imagine my life without Edward anymore. Sometime, I felt as though he were the only thing which stopped me from falling apart and going completely insane. If I didn't have Edward to confide in, it would all just bottle up and, eventually, I most likely would have just exploded without warning. Well, I may be overstating things here, but, either way, I felt like I couldn't do without him. I needed our conversations, needed the safety I felt in his presences, needed our friendship. In short, it felt as though I just needed him.

And yet, even while feeling that, there was a part of me that was...suspicious of him. This was mostly because I had noticed a lot of strange things happening, things that shouldn't. Well, in truth, it was really only two things, to be exact, though they had facets to them. The first was that, for some reason, sometimes, my dreams with him would appear more real than that should, mostly when it concerned me somehow harming myself.

Like, once, I'd fallen while doing something, skinning my arm. The next morning, when I awoke, my arm burned a bit, and there had been a bruise on it. I didn't think much about it, as I tended to bruise easily, but the phantom pains I would feel should I somehow hurt myself in my dreams concerned me a bit. Still, truthfully, that could also be because I may have hit a body part on something over anything, so that could be explained away.

The biggest thing that actually caught my notice, and made me all the more suspicious of him was the fact that anytime I told him something that was upsetting me, most notably when it concerned a person, that person would stop bothering me, making my problem disappear the very next day, never to bother me again.

I remembered the first time I noticed it happen. It was the day after my second meeting with Edward, the meeting where I had told him about Jessica, and the way she often humiliated me. I remembered that he told me that she wouldn't do anything bad to me again, that he wouldn't allow it, but I had figured that, as a dream figure, he couldn't do much. And, then, the next day, when I went to school, I had been expecting Jessica to come up and say something mean to me at lunch, as she usually did, especially when Mike was sitting with me. To my surprise, she didn't, though it did feel like she wanted to try.

* * *

 

_**Flashback** _

* * *

 

_I was sitting at my usual lunch table, next to my best friend Angela, and telling her about what she had missed the previous day because she was at the doctors. I was doing all right, up until my heart began to beat like crazy as I felt malevolent eyes on me. I turned, somehow already knowing who it would be, so I was not surprised to see Jessica standing there, in the doorway of the cafeteria, glaring at me like I had killed something important to her. I knew immediately that, whatever she had planned today, was going to be horrible, due to the horrible look on her face._

_And yet, as she started to walk towards me, it was not fear that filled me, but curiosity, for she was walking in a most peculiar way, as if her legs were paining her. She was also holding her right arm against her body, for no apparent reason, and, though her face was hate filled, there was also a look of pain upon it. These confused me – what was wrong with her. However, I wasn't too concerned about that, becoming a bit more worried as she came closer. Then, when she was a table away, she froze. Her malevolent look disappeared, fear evident on her face. She stood still, remaining in place with that frightened look on her face, looking above my head, out the window. I looked out it, seeing nothing, but, when I looked back, it appeared nothing had changed with her._

_She then started shaking her head, like she was trying to shake away something, but it was to no avail, for, when she looked up again, the frightened look remained. Her feet seemed to refuse to move an inch further towards me. Then, she started taking steps backwards. First one, then another. Five steps later, she tripped, hitting her elbow hard against the ground, much, much harder than it should. And I could swear I saw a blur of something go by her._

_The cafeteria went silent as the loud crack from it was heard, her scream of pain even louder. I was confused, and unable to believe it. Jessica had never missed a chance to humiliate me during lunch, never. Once she set her mind to being mean to someone she considered inferior to her, she did it without a second thought, and no one, no one, would stop her, especially when her victim was me. And yet today... She'd just stopped, and was not only walking away, but ended up hurt. It was as if karma had decided that it wasn't going to let her get away with any more of her crap._

_I barely paid attention when the ambulance came and she was taken away. Instead, my thoughts were on the look on her face when she'd stopped. I had to wonder what it was that she had been looking at, wonder what it was that had scared her so badly that she would walk away as if not to startle a wild animal. More than that, I wondered about what that blur was, and how she had somehow tripped. I looked behind me again, studying the trees I could see out the window. But I saw nothing._

* * *

 

_**End Flashback** _

* * *

 

I have never forgotten that day, the day Jessica had ended up rushed to the hospital form a broken arm, after being frightened by something. And it wasn't the last time she tried something like that. The weeks following the first time, she'd try to walk towards me, only to be frightened by something, at first, and then humiliated in some way or another later on. It was only when she'd ended up causing her tray of food to fall onto her after tripping that she gave up, never trying to bother me again, even when Mike would sit next to me. Every now and then, though, I saw her look my way for a second, hate on her face that would soon become fear. And, that funny walk she had, it stopped then, too.

This wasn't a singular incident either. Because I was the kid of a cop, while Jessica was considered to be the 'popular' girl, many of the others at school, some males, but mostly females, always felt that it was alright to pick on me the way Jessica did. However, the few who tried to take Jessica's place in the 'let's make fun of Bella' group usually ended up leaving me alone the next day fear on their faces when they looked at me. Some of them were even sporting some kind of bruise or were holding their arms a bit funny, as if they'd hurt it somehow. Some were even walking funny like Jessica would do from time to time.

I had once asked Edward about this, not quite thinking that he had something to do about it, but also not believing that he didn't, but he simply said, "Told you so, didn't I?"

So, because I wasn't sure of what else to think, and because I kind of liked not being bothered – even feared – by these people, I just excepted it, just like I excepted my situation with Edward.

Of course, I never stop wondering why I always met with Edward when I fell asleep, and why I would always be wearing something different than what I went to sleep in and why we always ended up in the meadow that we did. But these thoughts never bothered me all that much, not since the first night. I didn't really care anymore, so long as I got to see Edward. As long as I got to see him, I would accept whatever strangeness Edward brought with him, and be thankful to whatever forces it was that brought him to me from whatever plane of existence he belonged to, allowing us to see each other.

Of course, as I mentioned before, there was one thing that Edward didn't know, one little bump in my otherwise perfect friendship with him. Despite everything I'd already told Edward and despite how much I trusted him, there was one think I'd never told her; my crush on Mike Newton. Even after all this time, the crush was still there. And my crush wasn't the only one still there, for I knew that Jessica still liked him as ell, however unimportant she was. Luckily for me, it seemed that Mike liked me a whole lot more than he did Jessica, hanging out with me every chance he got and avoiding Jessica like she was the plague whenever he could do so.

I don't know why I've never told Edward about Mike, as there had been plenty of opportunities. In fact, I had come close to telling him before, but, whenever the feeling came up, another urge, one more powerful that actually sent fear coursing through me, would interfere. It wasn't the kind of fear that one felt when the teacher asked you a question that you don't know the answer to. The kind of fear I felt was the kind one felt when faced with a murderer who you knew was going to kill you, even if they didn't act like they would. It was the type of fear that was completely subconscious, and was the type one tended to ignore a whole lot, unless one knew of the trouble one was about to engage in.

This was the fear that drove me to keep Mike a secret from Edward, that always seemed to grip me anytime I may or may not plan on telling her. And, even though I repeatedly told myself that I would tell him eventually, this fear always gripped me and convinced me that I should wait until later to do so.

And so, after falling asleep, I found myself in that meadow once again, wearing a dark green dress that was medieval styled, with a golden hem and attached hood. What cleavage I had was hidden by the slightly high square neckline. I smiled to myself as my hand brushed along the paper in my lap, glancing up at Edward. This was the best part of the day for me, the time with Edward. They felt like the best parts of my life. This was my happy place, where I could go to just get away from the world and it's worries, where I could just sit and talk to Edward about anything and everything.

"So, how are you coming along with the drawing?" he asked, twirling a piece of my hair with his fingers as he sat right next to me. Just as he had promised to do, Edward had taught me how to draw, and it wasn't just the meadow that he taught me to do either. I'd learned, under his careful guidance, to draw it, myself, him, detailed houses, and more. Right now, I was working on a portrait of my family.

I'm really getting the hang of it," I said, feeling proud of myself as I looked at the picture. I felt that I had the right to feel proud, considering how bad I used to be at it.

"When was the last time you practiced?" he asked, which was on par to his usual inquiries about my art. It was his way of checking that I did my 'homework', so to speak.

"Today," I answered. "I did a drawing of Angela. It was pretty good, though it could still use a bit more work. I don't think I got the eyes and nose right."

"You'll have to draw it again tomorrow night so I can see it," he told me. I nodded absent mindedly before freezing for a second, biting my lip. I twirled my hands together, wondering what he would say about my request.

"Actually, while I could still use a bit of help on portraits, there's something else I could use help on," I said. "I still need help in drawing that house you described to me before." I pouted at the last sentence, hating that I still hadn't gotten the hang of these other things, despite the fact that they'd been taught to me before he'd taught me how to do portraits. And, while I had a good imagination, I couldn't get that three story mansion he'd told me about years ago, the mansion where he 'lived'.

He chuckled. "Of course, if you wish," he said. "Have you tried drawing other things?"

Again, this was another inquiry that he always asked, for he had a specific lesson plan for me. Still, even with the plan, he wanted to know if I did something that he hadn't taught me yet. However, while I usually stuck to this schedule, and replied with a 'no' to this question, today, I actually had something else to report.

"I tried drawing some of the woods a few days ago," I said, feeling a bit proud of myself once again, since I had something positive to report. "I found this nice little trail leading to this natural bench in the woods, not to far from my house."

"And how did that go?" he asked. I tried to hide the grimace I had at that question.

"Okay," I said dodgedly, looking everywhere but at him.

"Just okay?" he said, raising an eyebrow skeptically, staring at me as I fidgeted. He knew me well enough to know that I wasn't telling the truth about what I'd said.

"No," I said, annoyed. "It was fine until those damn trees came into the picture."

He laughed. "You've never been that good at drawing trees," he said, still laughing. "We'll have to work on that, later."

I glared at him as he continued to laugh, and looked away, forcing myself to think of something else other than Edward. Quite easily, my mind went back to the events which had taken place between Mike and myself today. My cheeks warmed as I remembered, a smile tugging at my face as well. Mike had asked me out, on a date. After all these years, he'd finally gathered up the courage to ask me out. Truthfully, I wasn't too mad and upset about it, glad that he had done so in general, since I was loosing hope that he ever would. In my opinion, it was better late than never for him to do so.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked me, seeing my sudden blush. He often asked me that question. I didn't know why, but he seemed to find it of vital importance to know every thought that crossed my mind, especially if I did something of note, like blushing.

"Nothing important," I said, looking away from him.

"Tell me," he pleaded. I shook my head, just as I'd always done when they thoughts had crossed over to Mike – just like every time I thought about telling him, and that irrational fear returned. This time, however, it was different. This time, instead of trying to look for a new subject to talk about, my mind brought the thought about how Edward would never try to hurt, as a way to push aware the fear, and I looked up to Edward's face. He was happy right now, a hint of teasing within his features as he tried to figure out my thoughts. Surely that wouldn't change just because I mention that there was another boy in my life, one that I liked. After all, not only was Edward my friend, but it wasn't like he could expect anything other than meeting me in my dreams, just like I couldn't expect anything but that as well. He was imaginary, his lack of changing and the two of us only meeting in dreams a clear sign of that.

Surely he would even help me with Mike, giving me some good advice like that a brother would give, for that was how else I thought of him as, when I didn't think of hm as being my best friend. He'd be happy for me, I was sure of it. I could think of no reason why I shouldn't tell Edward about Mike, forcefully pushing away the fear I felt about the idea of telling him this fact. I refused to hide my crush on Mike from Edward any longer, repeating to myself that Edward wouldn't hurt, that he would be happy for me. And so, with that type of thought running through my mind, I told him.

It would become the worse mistake I could ever make.

If I had known what the consequences would be for telling him, I would have kept my mouth shut, for, as soon as the words 'I have a crush on a boy named Mike, and he asked me out on a date,' come from my mouth, Edward seemed to be replaced my a darker creature, his true self, as it would turn out to be, one straight from my nightmares.

And the Edward I knew, the only I'd spent countless dreams with, the one I believed to have been like an older brother and my best friend, the one I could tell almost everything to, was gone...

And I knew that he would never return to me again.


	5. True Intentions

The minute I'd explained about Mike, he changed. The expression that crossed his face... I had never seen an expression like that on him before. I was an angry, murderous look. His breathing was hard, his jaw clenched tightly, his brows pulled together in an angry line. Most of all, though, was his eyes, which were pitch black. While I had seen them that color before – there were rare moments now and then, when he would look at me in a certain way – this was so much different. Despite the black color, they almost appeared to glow red with furry.

His breathing got harsher and quickly with each intake of breath, the furious lines along his face growing more intense as well. Though I still trembled, it seems to be the only movement I was capable of doing. I was unable to move, not towards him, not away from him. I almost felt as though something would explode if I did move, like there was an atomic bomb just waiting for some movement from me. However, I knew that I couldn't just sit here motionless, waiting for the end of this dream, especially with how fearful I was feeling. And, since I didn't actually know how to force myself awake, that meant that I needed to do or say something, anything.

Hesitantly, I reached my hand forward to touch his shoulder. "E-edward," I said, trying to sound concerned. However, it came out more as a squeak. A growl escaped his lips, and I cowered away from him. His growl had me thinking _don't dogs and wolves only do that_?

"You...said...yes...to him," he said slowly, anger coating every inch of his tone. More than that, his tone was accusing, as if I'd done something I wasn't supposed to do. He didn't have to question it, knowing already that it was true. I shrunk back even more. Edward had never used that tone of voice with me, and it scared me. Still, I unnecessarily nodded my head, hoping that this was just nothing that I needed to actually worry about, that he was just feeling overprotective of me, the way an older brother would.

Yet, my subconscious reared it's ugly head, pointing out that this anger went way beyond that an older brother would feel, that it pointed to being the product of something more than just overprotective brotherly feelings...

By now, he was baring his teeth as he continued to growl through them, and everything in me told me to get away. I slowly began to move away, freezing when he looked at me, obviously wanting an answer. When I nodded, though, he suddenly leapt up, his body no more than a blur, and stood in front of me, looking down at me with those burning eyes.

"WHY?" he yelled at me. I jumped from his loud voice, unwanted tears pooling in my eyes over his behavior. I scrambled to put some distance between us, pushing off of the ground to stand up.

"I-I..." I started, trying to say something, but I couldn't seem to find my voice. I blinked repeatedly, trying to clear away some of the tears that were burring my vision. A part of me hoped that, with the sight of my tears, he would calm and become remorseful, and go back to how he usually was, where he'd comfort me and brush the tears away while apologizing for scaring me, but I somehow just knew that it wasn't going to happen. The easy friendship that we had shared for the last several years was gone, and it wasn't going to come back anytime soon.

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?" he asked, his voice growing louder and more animalistic with each word. However, instead of becoming more fearful, anger flared through me at those words, giving me the courage I needed in order to defend myself against him. I stood up to do that, but when I got to my feet, he stepped forward, grabbing my arms in an iron grip as he stared down at me. As I looked into his fierce eyes, the thought that he had to be possessed crossed my mind.

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY YES TO HIM, TO ANYONE? WHY DID YOU SAY YES? WHY? WHY? ANSWER ME!" he screamed at me, shaking me with each word. My neck began to hurt from my head being swung back and forth with each shake, and I tried to get him to stop and let me go. Not only was he hurting me by shaking me, but his already iron grip seemed to get tighter, my arms beginning to go numb from where he had begun to cut off the blood circulation.

"Because I like him!" I finally yelled back, finding my voice. I took a few deep breaths, not wanting to suddenly burst out sobbing as I was wishing to do. My emotions were going haywire right now, and I was afraid that I would definitely end up bursting out sobbing if I didn't get myself under control within the next few moments.

He froze at my words once again, though his grip on my arms loosened considerably. My arms throbbed in pain as the blood rushed to my fingers.

"I...I thought that you would be happy for me," I whispered, tears falling despite the control I had over them..

"Happy!" he spat, his arms tightening one again. "Happy that _my_ mate decided to betray me by accepting a date from another man, despite the fact that she belonged to _ME_?"

I looked at him, stunned and confused. It took me a few moments before I could even speak.

"B-belong to you... Y-Your m-mate?... W-w-what are you t-talking about, Edward?" I asked, my confusion obvious. I had not clue about what he was talking about. However, at the moment, it would have probably been better if I hadn't asked it, for my words seemed to be a catalyst in causing yet another transformation to over take him, one that disturbed me even more than his out of control one I'd just been faced with. His murderous expression was now gone, replaced with another type of expression. His eyes, still dark, were now dark from something other than anger, and had a wicked gleam in them as he looked at me with an emotion that I could only describe as lust. I couldn't believe the animalistic desire I saw in them.

This was not my Edward at all, just like the previous one wasn't. This Edward was just as a complete stranger to me, a completely different person, as the previous one I'd been faced with. And my only desire right now, the only thing that I wanted to do, was run far, far away from him, as fast as I could. Unfortunately, as if he could sense this, he stepped closer to me, invading my personal space even more than he already was doing. A laugh – harsh and cruel – escaped him.

"Did you honestly believe that what we have been doing these past years has been for no purpose?" he asked darkly. My confusion made it obvious that the thought that something else could have been going on had never even crossed my mind, and that fact was evident on my face. He sighed.

"I have tried to be patient and wait for you, to earn your trust... to earn your love," he said, the last bit being in a soft voice, as if he actually didn't want me to hear it. The next time he spoke, however, it was in that same dark tone as before.

"But my patience has run it's course now. I'm _tired_ of waiting. I've wanted you for far too long," he said. His hands finally moved completely away from my upper arms, which throbbed with pain once again. However, I wasn't able to get away from him, for he immediately wrapped one around my waist, pulling me up from the ground and to his body so that my face was inches from his. His other hand tangled in my hair, holding firmly at the at the base so that I was unable to move.

"I'm not going to wait any longer," he whispered, and I realized what it was that he was about to do.

"No, do-," I started to say, only to be cut off as his lips slammed onto mind. I tried to move away, but the grip he had on me was unyielding. Slight tears began to form at the corner of my eyes as I forcefully kept them open, keeping my mouth closed. He didn't seem to care for that a whole lot, his tongue repeatedly sweeping along my bottom lip, telling me that he wanted entrance. I pressed my lips together even harder at that. He growled in frustration. Then, I felt his cold hand on my breasts, over my clothes. He squeezed, not extremely harsh, but not gently either, and I gasped in slight pain from the movement, unwillingly giving him the entrance that I had denied him before. He was quick to take advantage, thrusting his tongue past my lips.

His tongue explored the cavern of my mouth, his hand continuing to lay upon my covered breast. He would sometimes move, massaging it, no doubt hoping to arouse some kind of response from me. The only response he received was an increase in the tears I was no longer bothering to attempt to hide, and the muffled sobs that escaped my throat while I did my best to ignore the electricity that I was feeling in his touch now, something I'd never noticed before. A new found hatred for this man began to take root in me, fostering the longer he continued to kiss and lay hands on me improperly.

He continued to kiss me for the longest time, only breaking apart every now and then so that I could breathe. Every time he did that, he would growl possessively, repeatedly saying, "Mine, all mine. The whole time, I just stood there, trying to pretend that this wasn't really happening, that it was nothing but a bad dream. Then, I remembered that this _was_ a dream, my dream to be specific. It was my bad dream, my nightmare.

He finally drew back, his hands going around my waist. They were cold iron bars, refusing to let me move away from him. We were both silent for a very long time, the the only sound being my hitching breaths as the tears continued to fall. I wasn't really able to control it, stunned from his actions and the lack of consideration to what I may want. I was looking straight ahead of me, feeling his eyes on me and not wanting to look at them, knowing what it was that I would most likely see if I did. As my mind began to come back and I asked myself how it was that I could muss the now obvious signs of what he actually wanted, I remembered the fact that he hadn't hidden his desire from me at all times. The look in his eyes, I had seen it before, though it had been a lit dimmer before than it was now.

As the reason why he had looked at me like that when I was younger finally made sense, new shivers went down my spine. Now, knowing what it was that he had most likely thinking whenever he had looked at me that way had me more than freaked out, and I hated myself for fact that I had ignored the warning that my subconscious would sometimes send through me about him. I also felt that I should have known something was up since I would see him every night. Again, him seeing me every night held a new meaning now. It was just too bad that I figured that out a bit too late.

He hand came up and clutched my chin, making me look up and making sure that I couldn't look away. He looked deeply into my eyes, as if trying to convey the seriousness of something, trying to make me understand that, without a doubt, what he would say next was the pure truth.

"You are mine," he purred. "You were mine the minute you first stepped into this meadow. You were mine the minute you were _born_."

My eyes widened at his words. "W-what? What do you mean?" I asked shakily. He let out a mocking laugh, and I would have shrank from him at the sound, if not for the fact that he was holding me to him.

"You still don't get it, do you?" he growled out. " _This_ isn't normal, Bella. None of this is normal. _I'm_ not normal. There's a reason how I was able to continuously visit you, night after night, a reason why you're always here, a reason why those people who were mean to you stopped being so...a reason that ties into why you belong to me, why we are meant to be together."

"What reason?" I asked, though I wasn't certain that I really wanted to know. His arms fell from my waist, but I was frozen in my spot as his hand grabbed one of mine, yanking it to lay above his chest, just on top of the spot where his heartbeat should be. I was confused at the action, as it was quite unexpected. After all, I didn't see how his heartbeat had anything...to...do...

My eyes widened as I realized the purpose of this action. Where I should feel a steady beat, I felt nothing. There wasn't any beat, and I paled as the implications of the fact came to me. He didn't have a heartbeat...

My hands came up to cover my mouth, hiding the gasp that left me as I backed up, no longer bound to his side anymore. Unfortunately, not watching where I was going, my feet hit something on the ground, and I stumbled backwards, landing harshly on my back, just managing to keep from hitting my head, though my arms paid the price. I finally understood what it was that he had been trying to tell me, what my subconscious had tried to tell me years ago. It was something that I should have realized sooner. I should have realized that there was something different about him, something that wasn't normal.

No, that wasn't right. I had realized that there was something off about him. He wasn't real, after all. However, I didn't realize the extent of just how inhuman he was.

"Do you see now?" he asked darkly. I looked away from where his heart should be beating, looking back up into his black eyes.

"What are you?" I asked in a small voice, vaguely curious to know exactly what type of creature I had dreamt up. He smirked evilly, bending down. I tried to crawl backwards, wanting to put the distance back between up, but he grabbed onto my ankle, using it to pull me closer to him, using his other hand to hold me in place when he had to as he slowly crawled up my body, laying down practically on top of me once we were face to face. His cold breath ghosted over my cheek as he leaned down to my ear. I shivered, and I would swear that his smirk widened at my reaction.

"What am I?" he said, repeating my question. I felt his tongue snake out of mouth, licking my ear lobe before lightly sucking it. Shivers of an unknown origin went down my spine at the action. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked, once he released my ear lobe. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, "Yes."

"Vampire," he whispered, then trailed his lips down to my neck. My eyes widened, and my breath caught. Vampire? Out of all the monsters and creatures in the world, my imagination had to conjure up a vampire. It was the answer that had been the furthest from my expectation. My shaking began anew as I processed what had just told me, especially as I realized the position of his mouth to my neck.

He placed a very light kiss there, then pulled back, using one hand to steady himself above me while using the other to brush away the tears that had started to fall. The gesture was meant to comfort me, but his position and the fact that it just seemed to be a mockery of the act made it hard to even believe that he was trying to soothe me. In fact, the act only made me shake and cry harder.

"There, there, love," he said, his hand sliding down to my neck. I cringed at the action and the endearment, realizing that I should have known there was something wrong the first time he called me that. The name wasn't something casual to call someone else; I didn't know anyone who called another person by that without it meaning something intimate.

He gripped my chin suddenly, gaining my attention as he leaned on closely once again, making me believe that he was about to try and kiss me again. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Now, listen, and listen well, love," he said, his voice sounding as though he was speaking to a little child. "You may not think that you're mine, but, believe men, you are. And, before you get any idea about it, we will be continuing to meet like this for the time being. I will visit you each night when you go to sleep, just like I've done the past few years. However, this situation will not be permanent. One day, and one day soon, you'll get a visit from me during the day, because, as much as I would love to meet you before the planned time, I really shouldn't appear before that time."

I shuddered at the thought of him appearing outside my dreams, though I knew that it wasn't possible. He seemed to ignore my shudder at his words.

"But, make no mistake, my sweet," he continued, "when the appointed time comes, we _will_ meet outside of this little realm of your dreams. And, once that happens, I will never let you go. You will love me, do you understand, love?"

"No," I said firmly, a unexpected burst of confidence coursing through me due to the anger that had flared as his presumptuous words. I was able to gain my composure, pushing him away from me. He wasn't expecting the move, for I was about to push him off of me, maneuvering myself out from underneath him and standing up, stepping back to put some space between us. "No," I repeated, once I was a suitable distance from him.

He growled once again, furious that I hadn't agreed with him, and he jumped to his feet, stalking over to me so quickly that I wasn't able to move away before he grasped my chin, forcing me to look at him once again. For a moment, fear crossed my face as I saw his anger, but I beat it down, covering it up in false bravo, telling myself that I wasn't afraid of him anymore to try and help me keep from showing the truth to him.

"I'm sorry, love, but you really don't have any say in this matter," he growled out, looking straight into my eyes while taking deep breaths, as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"It's my life," I hissed, my eyes narrowing as I pushed his hand from my chin and began stepping back from him. "And don't touch me, don't ever touch me again."

I immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say, worse than even admitting my crush on Mike. He froze again at the words before glaring at me, rushing at me at too fast of a pace to avoid. Thankfully, I tripped again before he could grab me, though my change of position didn't delay him. I found myself flat on my back, him just to the side of me, hovering over me with my wrist captured within one of his hands while he held my chin once again.

"Don't ever say I am not allowed to touch you," he hissed, releasing my chin. His hand now ghosted over my body, gripping my budding breasts harshly enough to cause me to gasp in pain.

"This body, your body, belongs to me, just as you do," he said, his hand going lower. The feelings of panic began to stir as I realized what it was that he was about to do as his hand brushed past my abdomen.

"Stop," I said, squirming. He ignored me , his hand continuing it's journey, now going down my leg to the edge of the dress I wore before slowly climbing upwards. "I said stop! My body does not belong to you! I don't belong to you! And there's nothing you can do about it!"

That got him to stop, his hand pausing halfway up my inner thigh.

"Do you really think that, Bella?" he asked.

"What are you going to do about it?" I said. "What can you do? You're not even real!"

The hand underneath by dress squeezed it in warning, as if warning me when I was talking, but I ignored it. Truthfully, the fact that he wasn't real – despite what he tried to convince me of – was really the only reason why I was adding fuel to the fire that was his anger. There was nothing he could really do to harm me; scare me, yes, but harm...

"I would suggest that you didn't underestimate me," he threatened darkly. However, I was too worked up to really comprehend what he was saying.

"Go on, then!" I yelled, glaring up at him. "Prove it! Do something to make me fear you!"

He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment. Then, a wicked gleam came over them, a devilish smirk tugging at his lips. I immediately regretted my words, realizing that I had gone to far in pushing him, and suddenly afraid of what it was that he'd do. However, I couldn't – no, I wouldn't – take back what I had said.

"So be it," he said, and I closed my eyes before he'd finished speaking, preparing myself to feel some sort of pain – kind of like the pain I'd felt the times I'd fallen, as well as when he'd grabbed me. However, I felt nothing – in fact, the grip of his hands had left my body – and I opened my eyes once more. Everything around me was blurred, and I blinked to clear my vision. That was when I realized that I'd someone gotten out of my dream and was in my bed, sunlight streaming through my windows, informing me of the fact that it was a new day once more.

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that left me upon discovering this fact.


	6. Death of Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
> _Warning: There is a scene of rape in this chapter. Don't read if you don't like to rea dabout rape. The rape is not marked, so if you read, you can't just skip easily, either._  
>  **

I let the relief I felt at having woken up run through me for several minutes before my mind turned to the contents of my dream. I laid where I was at, still as I absorbed what had happened within it, still able to feel the pain from where he'd grabbed my arms. Tears pricked at my eyes as I realized that my Edward, my best friend, was gone forever. The man that I had felt so close to for years, the one that I had considered to be my brother, was no longer there. I didn't know where he'd gone – I'd just know that the man I had seen last night was not him. And, though I questioned over whether I would ever see my friend again, whether I would ever speak to him again, I knew that answer to that question. It was no.

And I also knew that I wouldn't want to, either, now that I knew his motives behinds being in my dreams. It disgusted me to know the truth behind his actions.

Thankfully, I was able to draw comfort from one single fact: he could never truly enter my reality. Despite what he said – done, most likely, in order to scare me into doing what he wanted – he would only ever be a nightmare, one that I had whenever I slept and dreamt. That was the only place he could and would ever be able to contaminate. There was no way he could ever contaminate my waking world. And that was something that I truly believed. I truly believed that he could never have any effect on my life outside of my dreams, conveniently forgetting about some of the strange things that had happened since meeting him.

Sighing with relief, my mind turned to other things as I got out of bed, and went to get ready for school. Immediately, my mind went to Mike, and the fact that tonight was our date. I was giddy with excitement over the fact. I still couldn't get over the fact that, after all this time, we were finally about to go out with each other. I could only hope that I didn't embarrass myself.

I noticed that my arms were hurting a bit as I dressed, throwing on a short sleeved shirt and grabbing my zip up sweater, since I knew that it would be cool, as it usually was. However, I didn't think much of it, since they had also been hurting when I'd woken up. I knew that it was just the phantom pain from Edward grabbing them in my dreams. Considering how real the pain had felt, I wouldn't be surprised if it would take a while for my brain to stop sending the message that they'd been hurt.

Jake, my brother, ended up driving me to school, instead of my mother, though this was pretty much the usual nowadays. We went our separate ways after he parked – our usual routine since he'd gotten his driver's license, back when I was still in middle school, since Forks was such a small town that middle school actually didn't exist for us the way it did for almost every other place. I thought that it was handy to have him going to the same school as I was, especially since he'd gotten his license. It was even better since he'd became assistant coach for the football team after his graduation three years ago. He would have gone to college, but knowing that our mother's health had begun failing several years ago, he had decided to stay close to home, until he believe I no longer needed him – after I graduated, I'd heard him mention at one point. As it was, he was doing a few community college classes online, just so he at least stayed used to doing schoolwork.

As my thoughts were on my date that was going to happen later tonight, I was having trouble keeping the goofy grin off my face. I didn't think anything could take it off, so when I saw Angela running towards me, tears running down her cheeks, I was kind of surprised to feel it fade. Worry caused my eye brows to furrow as she approached me.

"Ang, what's wrong?" I asked, feeling a stirring of panic run through me. She sniffled, trying to gain control of herself enough to talk.

"Lily Conner was on her way to school when she found someone in the woods near here," she explained, her voice thick with tears. I gasped.

"Were they hurt? Are they all right?" I asked, afraid that it would be one of the more friendly students in the school. She hiccuped.

"They...they were _dead_ ," she said, sobbing out again. "I...I saw the...b-body when I h-heard Lily screaming. I-it was a s-s-student from h-here."

Foreboding started running through me, my eyes immediately looking up, scanning the faces of our school mates. I was searching for one face in particular, though it was only in my subconscious that I even knew I was doing this. Fear was beginning to grip my heart when I couldn't find it.

"Angela," I whispered quietly, a slight understanding coming to my mind, "who was it?"

I feared what the answer was about to be, a fear completely understandable when she looked at me, the look on her face a mixture of pity and fear.

"I-it was M-M-M-Mike," she said, the last bit stuttered out quite a bit. I gasped, feeling a hollowness in my chest and mind as her words repeated themselves in my mind, over and over again. No matter how often they repeated themselves, though, I couldn't grasp it, refusing to believe it. Mike was here. He was okay. Angela only thought it was him. I began to frantically look for him, my heading turning this way and that in it's search for him.

It wasn't until I saw Jessica, standing there hysterical with her friends, that my futile attempts to deny the truth proved to be just that, futile, and I realized that Angela wasn't lying to me. Numbness began to set in then, my lip beginning to tremble as the full impact of the truth began to set in. Mike was dead, killed the very day that we were supposed to go out... _The very day I told Edward about him_ my subconscious shouted at me. _The very day I dared him to do something to make me fear him. But how does this make me fear him..._

That was something that I couldn't seem to understand. More than that, though, was the fact that I was even believing that he could have had anything to do with this. He wasn't real; he was just a figment of my imagination, one that thought he was anything but. I shook my head, breaking away from Angela as my body began to shake. My stomach began to turn, nausea setting in from the confusion of my thoughts and the reality of Mike being gone. I ran to the nearest restroom, throwing myself into a stall just as my breakfast came up. I vomited everything in my stomach, mixed with tears that had begun to make their way down my face as I sobbed in between heaves. Finally, when my stomach was empty, I stumbled away from the stall, still crying as I went to the sink.

I looked up at myself in the mirror, not really seeing myself. Instead, I saw Mike, looking at me accusingly, as if it was my fault he was dead. Now that the idea that Edward could have impossibly have had something to do with his death had entered my mind, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that it was my fault, and I stopped looking in the mirror, bringing my arms up and hugging myself with them.

"Ow," I said, looking at my arm in confusion. A bolt of pain had just shot through it when I'd squeezed, as if I'd hit some sort of bruise. "What the..."

I pushed my sweater off my shoulder, pulling up my sleeve to see that I had a bruise there, a strangely shaped one that was lighter in some areas, and darker in others. I looked at it in confusion, wondering where in hell it came from. It was when I placed my hand just under it that I realized what that it's shape much like that of my own hand. Curious, suspicious, and afraid, I placed my hand on it lightly, my eyes widening upon the realization that, though bigger, it was clearly a hand print. I started to tremble as I realized that the bruise was exactly where Edward had hurt me in my dream. Pulling my sweater back in place, I did a quick look at my other arm, seeing the exact same bruise.

My breathing quickened, panic beginning to make it's way through me as I realized that I'd somehow bore the marks from Edward's rough treatment of me from in my dream last night. Between that, the knowledge of Mike's death, and the possibility that Edward actually could have been responsible for Mike's death... My mind was on overload, my emotions all over the place, so my brain did the only thing it could think of. I was barely aware of the floor rushing up to meet my face as blackness overwhelmed me.

* * *

 

I knew that something wasn't alright as I awoke. The light outside my eyelids told me that. It was too bright, certainly not the dim florescent lights on the bathroom ceiling. Also, what I laid on was softer than the tile floor of the bathroom. More than that, though, was the fact that I didn't feel the fabric of my sweater against my arms, nor did I feel the fabric of the jeans I'd thrown on this morning. Instead, it felt as though I was wearing something satiny. What really startled me, though, was the fact that I could feel grass brushing against my skin where whatever satin clothing I was wearing didn't touch.

Dread pulsed through me as realization ran through me, and I wasn't surprised to discover that I was in the meadow when I opened my eyes. I realized then that, even though I hadn't gone to bed, it seemed that I would end up appearing here anytime I wasn't conscious, a fact that didn't please me to discover.

I pushed myself off the ground, eyes darting around. I knew that, if I was here, then Edward would be here as well, waiting in the shadows as he was prone to do at the beginning of a 'dream'. I found him waiting in the shadows of the trees right behind me, his eyes seeming to glow in the light. I was able to see him smirk rather evilly upon seeing me, at which point he began to walk towards me. I gasped as I took in the blood splattered clothes he was wearing, my feet automatically taking steps backwards as he came closer to me.

"S-stay away," I said, stuttering slightly on the first word. "Stay away from me, Edward."

He didn't listen, continuing forward with every step I took backwards. It was when my back hit a tree that I realized that I was at the edge of the meadow, with him still walking towards me, having slowed down, taking baby steps now in an attempt to mock me. I pushed away from the tree, turning on my heel and taking off into the forest, probably to his surprise. However, I had no desire to stay there with him – I just wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

 _Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up_ I mentally repeated in my mind as I ran. It didn't feel as though I got very far when I was grabbed from behind.

"Now, Bella," came Edward's voice, a mocking tone to it, ignoring the way I tried to fight him off.

"Let me go!" I yelled at him, kicking my legs and struggling to get him to release his arms from around my waist. The warm feel of the blood on him seeped through the material of my dress, allowing me to feel it, spurring my panic even more. "Let me go!"

He still held me, not even showing a sign of being effected by my struggling, and I soon tired out. When he sensed this fact, he loosened his grip, turning me so that I faced his chest. I refused to look him in the eye, instead keeping my eyes on his chest. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at the blood beginning staining his shirt, the reminder that it was _Mike's_ blood repeating itself through my mind.

Edward chuckled, seeming not to care that I wasn't looking him in the eye. Instead, he leaned down, until his mouth was right by my ear, and said, "You dared me, love." A sob broke through my throat. "I waned you not to underestimate me. If you hadn't pushed me, then your little _friend_ might still be alive now. No, wait, that's not true. No, he'd be alive if you hadn't agreed to go out with him. So, really, no matter how you look at it, it's your fault he's dead."

I pushed Edward away, which worked, much to my surprise, and he just chuckled once again, disappearing from my view. I soon realized why, though, when I saw that the blood from his shirt had transferred itself to my hands.

"Yup," Edward said, from behind me. I jumped, but didn't do any other movement, for my eyes refused to leave my blood stained hands. "Little murderous Bella. His blood is on your hands."

My body shook at the truth of those words hit me. He was right. Mike hadn't deserved to die, but he had, all because I'd been stupid enough to let Edward know about him, was stupid enough to challenge Edward. And it wasn't like there wasn't evidence that Edward could do something – the action of others who had treated me horribly over the years stood out glaringly in my mind. Their sudden fear of being mean to me took on a new meaning as I realized that Edward had most likely done something to all of them. However, I had no clue what it was, or how it was that he could harm them, but kill Mike. Then again, the fact remained, Mike was the answer to the challenge I'd given Edward. Guilt washed through me yet again, and I shook my head as the blood on my hands seemed to thicken, as if they had been submerged in the thick liquid.

"How could you?" I whispered brokenly. "How could you do it? Why did you you? He didn't do anything! And you knew...you knew..."

"He was a threat," he simply said. "He was a threat, which was why I chose him. And I would have done it anyway; I will rid of anyone who attempts to come between us, Bella. Anyone that threatens our future together will die. And it's not my fault that you chose to ignore what you knew – don't bother saying that you didn't. You knew I could, yet you still challenged me. Perhaps, you even wished me to –"

My hand swung out at that, a nice wave of hot anger running through my veins, breaking through my guilt. I vaguely noticed, as I swung them and connected with the cold, stone like cheek of Edward, that the blood that had been on them had vanished.

"We have no future together!" I spat at him, glaring at him, ignoring the pain of what felt like a broken hand. "I hate you!"

He didn't like those words; I saw the smirk on his face wipe off as fury over my words took him over. I didn't have a chance to gloat over my victory over the truth, though, for he gripped my arms in his tight grasp, pulling me up until I was practically level with his face. I vaguely noticed that his clothes had changed after my words, but I mostly noticed that his eyes were pitch black.

"Never say that, Bella!" he growled out in anger – I heard a tinge of desperation in his tone as well. "Don't ever say that!"

He tried to kiss me, but I immediately moved my head away, my hands coming up and fighting to push him away.

"Why do you fight me?" he yelled in my face, holding my squirming body to his. He was quick in subduing me, with only one hand, the other free to fist itself into my hair. He managed to kiss me then, attacking my mouth with a ferocity that had tears pricking at my eyes. I didn't fight him, though, just stood motionless throughout his movements, my eyes opened, though tears were blurring my vision. He didn't care for my lack of reaction, drawing back to glare at me with those piercing eyes. When I blinked, and my eyes were clear for a second, I saw a glimpse of hurt deep within them at my rejection.

The look of hurt didn't stay, though. Instead, desperation came through as he pulled back slightly, a pondering look crossing his face.

"You're young," he whispered, to himself, seemingly unaware that he was speaking out loud as he held me still to his body. "That's why you're like this. Because your young."

I wanted to yell that he was wrong, that my lack of response wasn't because I was young, but because I wanted nothing to do with him, but it wouldn't come out of my mouth, the way he was now looking at me – his lie convincing him so thoroughly that his desperation and hurt were completely gone – frightening me once again. I tried to back away, forgetting that I was still trapped within his arms, and ended up being pressed against him even more firmly. He lifted my body easily off the ground, carrying me back to the meadow, right to the middle, where he laid me down on the a blanket that had appeared out of nowhere.

He laid next to me, keeping me subdued against him, his body reacting as he calmed and held be against him. I swallowed harshly as I felt the evidence of the lust that he was feeling against my back. He began kissing along my neck, and, though he kept one arm around me to keep me against his body, the other was left free to roam my body.

“Stop,” I said, reaching out to stop the hand that was roaming my body, trying to still it, as well as push it away. He responded by turning me onto my back, partially hovering over me, and the look on his face frightened me more than anything else had. It didn't surprise me when he began kissing me once again, though I clearly tried my best to get him to stop. I tried to turn my head this way and that way, only to be forced back into that position whenever he wanted to kiss me, for every time I broke the kiss, he would just run his lips up and down my cheek, neck, and even moving to my ear. Eventually, when my efforts proved useless, I just laid there, hands at my side, my head not moving, waiting for him to be done so that I could get out of this nightmare.

I didn't realize that the nightmare was just beginning, for he seemed to take my non fighting as compliance, despite the fact that I did nothing to encourage him. I wasn't even kissing him back, my mouth firmly closed. I would have thought that my stiff body and lack of participation would have told him that I didn't want this, but he wasn't taking it that way. It was when his hands began tugging at the neck of my dress that he was planning on doing something more than just kiss me registered to me.

I started struggling once again, screaming when I felt him rip the top of my dress open just a moment before he kissed me once again. He palmed my still developing breasts harshly, enough to bruise, and I gave a muffled scream in the kiss. I struggled even more, more panicked than I had been earlier as he touched my chest, playing with my breasts as his tongue once again snaked it's way into my mouth. I choked and gagged as I did what I could to evade his tongue with my own. I was growing faint with a lack of air before he released, his lips trailing down my neck and towards my chest.

“No,” I gasped out, my hands doing their best to push him away from me. I was pretty much pushing against a brick wall for all the good it did. I did my best to ignore what he was doing as I fought against his hold. He seemed to get tired of my hands trying to fight him, grabbing them with his and transferring them into one of his own. He then held them there with that one hand while his other slid down my body, to the skirt of my dress, which incited more panic from me.

“No, Edward, stop, please,” I cried out. He ignored me as I felt him push it upwards, before he touch my panties, ripping them off of my body in quick succession. I screamed, trying to pull my hands from his while also bucking my body in hopes of dislodging him. He ignored all of my attempts, settling himself in between my legs; the feel of his member against the core of me was only blocked from being skin to skin by his jeans, but that didn't stop him from grounding it into me. My tears were falling non-stop now, and I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs as his mouth, having stopped doing so in order to grab my hands and remove my panties, returned to my chest once again, ignoring the trouble I seemed to be having getting air.

His free hand slid down to between my legs, and I whimpered as I felt him stroke me down there, his fingers sliding up and down along my womanhood. They played, almost eagerly, with me, going from simply stroking to entering me. A pained whine left my lips at the intrusion. He pumped his fingers a few times, curling them inside of me, and shame welled up inside of me as I felt my body begin to respond favorably to his actions. Even though my mind hadn't been lost, it appeared that my body had, and with, though I tried not to, several moans fell from my mouth.

Just as my non fighting had seemed to encourage him, so did the unwanted moans that fell from my mouth. His fingers went even faster within me, while his mouth moved away from one breast to the other, while he moved his other hand away from my wrists. My body's reaction, along with the shame I felt because my body was enjoying his attentions, was what my mind was focusing on at the moment, so I didn't move at all. In fact, I didn't even realize that he'd done that until I felt his hand brush against my stomach on it's journey to wherever he was moving it.

Upon the realization of this, I tried to push him off once again, only to freeze when I realized that his jeans had moved, and what it was that he was going to do became even clearer in my mind. Panic set in me even more and my struggles became even more frantic. I didn't try to speak, knowing that he wouldn't listen, and I began to use my nails to try and get him off of me. The pain of my nails bending against his skin, which was acting as if it was rock like now, seemed to catch his attention, for he signed, removing his mouth from my breast and his fingers from inside me. Almost immediately, he used his hands to grab mine, stopping me from raking my nails along his face and upper body.

Stopped from using my nails, I tried to use my legs and feet, but he had already positioned his body in such a way that it was impossible for me to do it, and, once again, I began crying so hard that I had trouble getting air into me. Yet, most likely because this was actually a dream, I did not faint, an unfortunate event for me, as what happened next made me wish I could have been given a relief from it, as, once he'd restrained my wrists within one hand, his other hand had gone back downwards, where he then positioned himself. Bile rose in my throat upon feeling of his member against me. He purposely brushed it up and down for a few moments.

“Please don't!” I sobbed. Whether it would have made a difference or not, I didn't know, as he thrusted forward just as I finished speaking. The movement was accompanied by tremendous pain, as though I was being torn apart from the inside. I screamed, loudly, and did everything I could to get away, as if I hadn't tried to do such a thing before he'd entered me.

He wasn't still within me, immediately moving with a frantic pace that the initial pain only grew. The pain was so great that I couldn't even bring myself to fight, the pain clouding my mind too much. Instead, all that I ended up doing was sobbing in pain from his actions.

Edward didn't seem to notice this, though, his movements rapid as he took me. The fast movements seemed to go on forever, until I thought it would never stop. Yet, as I realized that he was going even faster than he had before, it seemed that my belief in him never stopping was untrue, for his even faster movements seemed to signal that he was coming to an end. And, not long after he hit his fastest pace – which was also the most painful – he suddenly stilled within me, and I felt something enter me at that moment.

He stayed still for a long moment, then pulled himself out, causing me to let out a pained whimper. My entire lower half ached with such pain that I almost couldn't move without stronger shots of pain coursing through me. Once my wrists were freed, the only movement I did was curl up, wrapping my arms around my bare upper body while also bringing my legs up, in an attempt to do everything I could to cover my exposed body.

Edward seemed to have disappeared for a moment. In fact, I thought that he had gone, clearly having gotten what he wanted from me, but, a few moments later, I heard him moving from behind me. I didn't look at him, and flinched when he touched along my head, brushing back the hair that rested there. He froze for a moment when I flinched.

“Why did you flinch?” he asked softly, so softly and quietly that I got the feeling that I wasn't supposed to hear him. Not that I was going to answer him. Instead, I curled up upon hearing him ask that. This, with my attempt to keep from looking at him, seemed to elicit a confused response from him, as he then then made me look at him. I did my best not to do so, but he gave me no choice, purposely turning my head this way and that in order to make sure I could see him. The expression on his face made me feel even sicker than I already was, for he didn't have a hint of remorse for what he'd done to me. No, instead, his expression was calculation, as if he was trying to figure something specific out.

When he finally let my head go, I turned my face away, and I heard him sigh.

“You're still young...” he muttered. “Obviously, you weren't quite ready for me … Still inexperienced... You haven't lived life long enough, though, to know...” He stopped there, shaking his head as if realizing that he was saying something he didn't want me to hear.

“You'll soon realize the truth, though, that you really didn't mean what you said before. You'll want me just as much as I want you, love me just as much as I do you,” he said, a slight sigh in his voice as he spoke.

If I wasn't so afraid and in pain, I would've laughed at his foolish words. Despite what he said, I knew that what he wanted would never be. I would never love Edward. He had deceived me, right from the start, pretending to be my friend in order to discover everything he could about me. He had tricked me into trusting him, making me believe that I had the ultimate confidant. And it was something that I had ended up falling for, my young mind not once thinking that this strange man could have been anything but a figment of my imagination, or, when he started appearing as something else, an imaginary friend whom had been sent to me because I'd needed one. I had told him everything, from what I'd done that day to any secrets I myself had, or had been told by someone else. There was a single detail about my day or me that he didn't know – at least, for the most part.

The only thing I had ever kept from him was my crush on Mike, up until the previous night. And it seemed to have been the worst thing to do, seeing as it was what was responsible for the predicament I was in.

I didn't tell him my thoughts now, not wanting to anger him again. I was so afraid of what his reaction would be if I did it again. I didn't care what he'd do to me, for I couldn't think of anything worse for him to do to me that he hadn't already done, but for my friends and family... He'd already proven, by killing Mike, that he could harm anyone I cared about. I wasn't about to let another person suffer because of me.

So lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize that he'd begun to move, until I felt his arms wrap around my curled form. He turned me over, pressing my face to his chest. I went stiff like a board, for it felt so _wrong_ to be in sch an intimate feeling position. Considering that I'd always believed this position to only be for people who were in love, an idea which was due to the fact that I'd always seen my parents like this. And with how in love they were...

I noticed him breathe deeply as he nuzzled my hair, and felt him against my stomach, stiffening as fear coursed thorough me. He...he couldn't want to do that again, could he? When he moaned, pressing me to him even more, I wasn't so sure, and I stiffened even more, trembling at the idea that he just might rape me once again.

“You smell so good, love,” he suddenly purred, startling me. “So sweet. Don't worry, though. I can assure you that it's not in a way that would cause any danger to your life, from me at least.”

I didn't understand what he meant by that at all. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising, since I barely knew anything about Edward. He'd always been more interested in talking about me, though I did know a few things. That said, the words he'd just spoken made no sense to me, as, while I knew he wasn't normal, I'd always considered that abnormality to be due to the fact that he was imaginary, partially made by my own mind at to what I wanted in a friend and confidant, as well as what I'd thought whoever had sent him to me had believed would be good for me..

Now, though, knowing that Edward was a vampire, this brought a whole knew dimension to him. I had seen a lot of vampire movies and read a lot of books, enough to know that vampires were not the good guys in any sense, and I had the feeling that, though he was a vampire, Edward wasn't like any of the vampires I'd read or seen. I had the feeling – no, not a feeling, I just knew this to be true – Edward was much, much worse. That said, other than what I'd read, I didn't know much about vampires, and I didn't quite know what he was talking about when mentioning me smelling good.

And so, wanting to know what he meant with his words, though I loathed the idea of speaking to him, I did just that.

“What...what do you mean?” I asked, hesitantly at first, then with a little more confidence, hoping that he wouldn't try to do something to me. He stiffened slightly himself, making me think that I'd done something wrong, which ruined what little confidence I had. My body stiffened up even more upon this happening, which he seemed to notice.

“Sh,” he said. “it's alright. I was just startled at the question. I wasn't expecting you to ask it.”

As he spoke, he didn't sound angry. If anything, the fact that I was inquiring had him a bit more than happy.

“I mean that your blood doesn't smell good enough for me to want to eat,” he said, and my heart stopped at his answer, as well as the rather blasé way he said it, as if it wasn't something so out of the ordinary to say. Whatever I'd thought he was going to say, it was not that. Shivers went down my spine with the fear of what he was revealed to me. I hadn't known that about my scent, and, despite what he'd just said, a large part of me was afraid that he was lying about my scent not attracting him in the hungry type of way.

There was silence for a few moments, still stiff from the thought of what he'd just revealed, until he knocked me out of my thoughts by suddenly speaking once again.

“Don't ever think you can escape me, Bella,” he said. “I will always find you, my love, no matter where you go, or how far you run. And I would advise you not to test my temper again. Who knows who else could get hurt if you do.”

I shuddered, hearing the threat in his voice, though it wasn't needed. I understood it quite well what he was alluding to. I knew that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt or even kill anyone I cared about, such as Angela and my family. He'd already demonstrated this by killing Mike, so I knew that he wouldn't hesitate in doing this if I misbehaved.

Once done with his warning, he forced my head up, where he proceeded to kiss me once again. I didn't see a reason to fight, tired, in pain, scared as I was. Letting him have his way just seemed to be better, even if it disgusted me to do so. After he'd kissed me for a what was actually a shorter time than he had before, he pulled back with a sigh. There was a frown on his face as he looked down at my face.

“You have to go now,” he said, calm but clearly unhappy about this fact. However, as he seemed to remember something, the unhappiness cleared up. “I'll see you again tonight, though, so there's no worries.”

He'd let me go by then, so I knew that he didn't notice my shudder upon hearing his words. I knew that he spoke the truth, that he would waiting for me come night. And, the chances were, it wouldn't just be tonight, either. No, he was going to be there every night, coming to me as I dreamt, and now, now that I knew why he was here, what it was that he wanted from me, he wouldn't hide anymore. Edward was finally free to do whatever he wanted now, no longer having to hide behind the guise of a friend. And considering what he'd already done with his 'newfound abilities', I had the feeling that my nights were about to become nights of pure hell. I wondered if these dre...no, they weren't dreams anymore, they were nightmares.

I wondered if these nightmares would ever stop, if there would soon be a night in which I'd go to sleep and not have to see this meadow again, or look upon his face again. Deep down, though, I just knew that, despite my inward hopes, that would never happen. Edward was never going to let me go. He would continue haunting my dreamworld, and the would only be one way for me to never see him again.

And the only consolation I had was that he only would ever be able to appear in my dreams. So long as I was awake and conscious, he could never hurt or bother me. This was a hope I had that I believed to be true, that I had to believe to be true. Because if it wasn't, I didn't know what I would do.

I only knew that I would not be able to handle it if Edward were to ever enter my reality.

**Author's Note:**

> **  
>  _This fic will be a slow to be updated fic. I'll kind of be writing it out as I go. Also, this was adopted from someone, but the way I'm going to write it will be a lot different than the way they had it going. I'm going to make it slightly darker than they were going to have it._   
>  **


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